Obama plays nice at W.H. picnic

President Obama gave a special shout-out to the families of members of Congress at a White House picnic on Wednesday and thanked them for their sacrifice.

"Michelle reminds me every day how difficult it is to be married to a politican. The sacrifices that all of you make, the birthday parties that get missed or the soccer games that you are late to, the travel that keeps you away from your loved ones -- all of that obviously is in service of our country," he told members and their families gathered on the South Lawn. "And you guys are serving alongside those of us who hold elected office. So we're thrilled that you have at least one day that you got a chance to be together in Washington. And nobody’s arguing."

That last point may be in dispute, of course. But the president sounded somewhat of a conciliatory note at the annual affair, where his cabinet members -- including Attorney General Eric Holder, who is facing a contempt vote Thursday by GOP House members -- were scheduled to join members of Congress for the get-together.

"[F]or all the political differences that are sometimes expressed in this time, we are first and foremost Americans, not Democrats or Republicans," Obama said during his brief remarks at the picnic. "And all of us want to make sure that during extraordinarily challenging times for this country that we constantly keep that in mind. That’s what the people who sent us here are expecting, and I know that each of us in our own way are hopeful that because of the work that we do here, we pass on something a little better and a little brighter to our kids and our grandkids. And so I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you."

Here are his full remarks:

Now you don’t have to worry, I will not be singing -- we have professionals for that. But on behalf of Michelle and myself, I just want to say welcome. We have a perfect day for a picnic. It is spectacular. We want to thank, as usual, our outstanding Marine band. They can play anything at any time, and we're so grateful for their servce to our country. Obviously that goes to all our men and women in uniform, and today's a great day to acknowledge everything they do to provide our liberty and way of life.

I want to say a special welcome not only to the members of Congress but most importantly to their families. Because Michelle reminds me every day how difficult it is to be married to a politican. The sacrifices that all of you make, the birthday parties that get missed or the soccer games that you are late to, the travel that keeps you away from your loved ones. All of that obviously is in service of our country. And you guys are serving alongside those of us who hold elected office. So we're thrilled that you have at least one day that you got a chance to be together in Washington. And nobody’s arguing.

That also just reminds me that for al the political differences that are sometimes expressed in this time, we are first and foremost Americans, not Democrats or Republicans. And all of us want to make sure that during extraordinarily challenging times for this country that we constantly keep that in mind. That’s what the people who sent us here are expecting, and I know that each of us in our own way are hopeful that because of the work that we do here, we pass on something a little better and a little brighter to our kids and our grandkids. And so I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you.

I'm glad I see some folks here in shorts. And there's some, some Hawaiian shirts and so everybody is dressed appropriately for a picnic. If you still have your tie on, take it off. Make sure to enjoy the barbecue, enjoy the music and go see the garden if you want, and we are going to be coming down on this ropeline. And I want to be able to shake everybody’s hands. I warn you in advance that because the line is long, it's going to be hard for us to pose for individual pictures for everybody. The exceptions that we make are kids who are 12 and under. How 'bout that? That’s going to be our cutoff. So little kids, if you want a picture, I don’t mind, I can't say no to little kids. You bigger folks, you're just going to get a handshake and maybe a kiss. Unless you haven’t shaved, in which case, you know. Anyway, everybody have a wonderful time. God bless you, God bless America.